UCLA Advances to College Cup for Second Year in a Row . . .
For the second time in as many years, the UCLA women's soccer team has earned a spot in the NCAA College Cup (Final Four) in Cary, NC. UCLA (17-6), which is making its third overall appearance in the College Cup, will take on No. 7 Princeton (19-2) on Friday at 2:00 p.m. (EST) in the first of two semifinals. The second match that day will feature No. 4 Notre Dame (23-1-1) and No. 16 Santa Clara (18-4-2) at approx. 4:30 p.m. (EST). Sunday's national championship is scheduled for 1:00 p.m. (EST). All three matches will be televised live on ESPN2.

The Ellis-Shackford Connection . . .
UCLA head coach Jillian Ellis and Princeton head coach Julie Shackford have been best friends for more than 20 years. The two first met while playing club soccer in Virginia and have been in close contact ever since. After attending different high schools, the two teamed up together again at William & Mary (1984-87), each earning All-America honors. Ellis was one of the bridesmaids at Shackford's wedding and is the godmother to one of her daughters, Cameron, whose middle name is Jill.

NCAA Tournament History . . .
UCLA is making its eighth-straight appearance in the NCAA Tournament and ninth in the 12-year history of the program. The Bruins are making their second consecutive appearance in the NCAA College Cup and third overall. UCLA is 1-1 all time in semifinal matches. The Bruins defeated Portland, 1-0 in the semifinals back in 2000, earning a spot in the NCAA Final against North Carolina. UCLA was beaten by the Tar Heels, 3-0 in last year's semifinals. The Bruins own a 20-8 all-time record in NCAA Tournament play (15-4 at home, 4-2 away, 1-2 neutral).

UCLA in the NCAA College Cup
2000 def. Portland, 1-0
lost to North Carolina, 2-1
2003 lost to North Carolina, 3-0

Ursini, Bruins Down Buckeyes, 1-0 in Columbus . . .
Bruin midfielder Caitlin Ursini picked a good time to score her first goal of the season, connecting on a free kick in the 64th minute Saturday, helping UCLA to a 1-0 victory over No. 6 Ohio State in the NCAA Quarterfinals. Freshman midfielder Danesha Adams was taken down on a breakaway just outside the OSU box, prompting a direct free kick. Ursini took the shot, blasting it around the wall and into the bottom left corner of the goal. It marked Ohio State's first home loss of the year.

Defensive Dominance . . .
UCLA is the only remaining team which has yet to give up a goal in NCAA Tournament play. The Bruins, who have allowed just 16 goals all season, have posted 12 shutouts and have outscored the competition 7-0 in four NCAA matches.

UCLA vs. the College Cup Field . . .
Santa Clara is the only team in the College Cup that UCLA has played this season. The Bruins registered a 1-0 overtime decision over the Broncos back on Oct. 3 at UCLA's Drake Stadium. UCLA forward Bristyn Davis was tripped up in the box, prompting a penalty kick in the 106th minute of play. Defender Kendal Billingsley connected on the PK, giving the Bruins their first-ever victory over the Broncos in six total meetings. UCLA is 0-1 all time vs. Notre Dame, 1-0 vs. Princeton and 1-4-1 vs. Santa Clara. The Bruins' only meeting with Notre Dame was a loss in the 1997 NCAA Quarterfinals. UCLA has played Santa Clara in the NCAA Tournament once before, falling to the Broncos in the NCAA Third Round back in 1999.

UCLA Among Perennial Powers . . .
Only North Carolina has made more NCAA College Cup appearances than UCLA in the last five years. The Bruins, who have made trips in 2000, 2003 and 2004, are among an elite group of five schools which have consistently made the final four. North Carolina, UCLA, Portland, Santa Clara and Notre Dame have accounted for 15 of the 20 NCAA College Cup spots since 2000.

COLLEGE SOCCER'S ELITE
Schools with the most NCAA College Cup appearances in the last five years.

Playmaker Jill Oakes . . .
Whether it is marking the opposition's best player or assisting the UCLA attack, junior midfielder Jill Oakes is a major reason why the Bruins are making back-to-back appearances in the NCAA College Cup. A first-team All-Pac-10 selection out of West Hills, Calif., Oakes arrived at UCLA back in 2002 as the nation's No. 1 recruit, after being named both Parade and Gatorade National Player of the Year. She has recorded eight points (3g, 2a) in 2004, scoring game-winning goals against Oregon State and San Diego (NCAA Second Rd.).

Mertz Returns to North Carolina . . .
UCLA assistant coach Katherine Mertz was the starting goalkeeper at North Carolina State from 1994-97. She helped the Wolfpack earn NCAA Tournament berths in each of her first three seasons in Raleigh. She set the ACC career record for saves (436) and finished her career ranked second all-time in conference history with 24 shutouts. After graduating from NC State with a degree in Natural Resources with an emphasis in ecosystem assessment, Mertz served one season as an undergraduate assistant coach.

Better Late Than Never . . .
UCLA has scored twice as many goals in the second half (31) than it has in the first half (14) of matches this season. That statistic hasn't hurt the Bruins all that much, as they are 9-1 when tied at halftime.

Helping Out Where Needed . . .
Defender Kim Devine is just one of several Bruins who have played out of position in 2004. A forward since arriving at UCLA as a transfer from BYU back in 2002, Devine was moved to defense in the middle of the year and hasn't looked back. Her play is a big reason why UCLA has posted 12 shutouts this season, including four in a row during the NCAA Tournament. Midfielder Lindsay Greco has also seen time in the back, while Danesha Adams, normally a forward, is one of the Bruins' top midfielders.

Greco Moves Into First Place All-Time in NCAA Scoring . . .
With her assist against Duke in the NCAA Third Round, Lindsay Greco moved into first place all time at UCLA in NCAA Tournament scoring. Greco, who now has 14 points (5g, 4a) in postseason play, had been tied with former Bruin Sarah-Gayle Swanson (13 pts.). Greco, who has nine points (2g, 5a) on the season, is still the only UCLA player to ever score in an NCAA Championship game, as she tallied the Bruins' lone goal in a 2-1 loss to North Carolina in the 2000 final.

Adams Enjoying Outstanding Freshman Campaign . . .
Forward Danesha Adams is enjoying an outstanding first season of collegiate soccer. Not only does she rank second on the team in scoring with 26 points (11g, 4a), she has been on fire during the NCAA Tournament. Adams had two goals in the Bruins' 3-0 second-round victory over San Diego on Nov. 14 and followed that up by registering the game-winner in a 2-0 third-round win over Duke on Nov. 20. Against Ohio State in the quarterfinals, it was her breakaway in the second half that resulted in UCLA scoring on a free kick. She leads the team with four game-winning goals this year. Adams, from Shaker Heights, Ohio, had about 20 family members and friends who made the drive down to Columbus for last week's match.

UCLA in the Rankings . . .
UCLA ended the regular season ranked No. 10 in Soccer America's weekly poll and No. 11 in the NSCAA/adidas national poll. The Bruins have been ranked in the top-10 for most of 2004, reaching a high of No. 3 in the NSCAA/adidas poll on Sept. 7. UCLA's high ranking in the Soccer America poll was No. 5 back on Oct. 26. Regionally, UCLA checks in at No. 3 behind Santa Clara and Portland. Rankings will not be released again until the end of the season.

Bruins and Wildcats Named Pac-10 Co-Champions . . .
Needing a win in its final match of the regular season to earn a share of the 2004 Pac-10 title, UCLA came from behind to defeat USC, 3-2 on Nov. 7 to tie Arizona atop the conference Standings at 6-3. UCLA ties Stanford for the most Pac-10 titles overall with five, registering its second in as many years. Either Stanford or UCLA has earned at least a share of the title in 10 of the 11 years it has been awarded (exception: Washington in 2000). The Bruins were picked to win the title in a vote of conference coaches at the beginning of the year.

Did You Know? . . .
Senior Lindsay Greco is the only player on this year's team to have appeared in three NCAA College Cups (2000, 2003 and 2004). She is the only player still left from the 2000 team, which reached the NCAA Final in San Jose. Greco, who was supposed to graduate with the class of 2004, medically redshirted in 2001 due to a torn ACL.

Sophomore Davis Leads Team in Scoring . . .
Following a freshman year in which she tallied 21 points on nine goals and three assists, Bruin forward Bristyn Davis has emerged as one of the top players in the Pac-10 in just her sophomore season. She has already surpassed her 2003 total of points, recording a team-leading 32 (13g, 6a). She ranks first in the conference in shots (93), tied for second in points and is third in goals. Davis is one of only six players to have started all 23 matches this year. The Bruins are 12-1 when Davis has either a goal or an assist.

UCLA in the Pac-10 and National Statistics . . .
As a team, UCLA ranks No. 1 in the Pac-10 in nearly every offensive category, including points (134), goals (46), assists (42), Shots (323) and corner kicks (136). Defensively, the Bruins are tied for third in goals allowed (16), owning a goals against average of 0.71. UCLA ranks second in shutouts with 12. Nationally, the Bruins rank in three categories: goals against average (No. 19), winning percentage (No. 20) and shutout percentage (T-24).

Henderson Sets Three Freshmen Records . . .
Goalkeeper Valerie Henderson is enjoying a record-setting freshman campaign. So far this season, she has set freshmen records at UCLA for games started (23), shutouts (11) and victories (17). She has given up just 16 goals on the year and currently owns an 0.70 goals against average (25th in the country). The freshman record for GAA is 0.52 set by Gretchen Overgaard.

U.S. Takes 3rd at U-19 World Championships . . .
UCLA midfielders Stephanie Kron and Stacy Lindstrom are redshirting the season after recently helping the Under-19 U.S. National Team take third place at the World Championships in Thailand. The U.S. posted wins over South Korea (3-0), Russia (4-1) and Spain (2-0) before falling to Germany (3-1) in the semifinals. Team USA bounced back, however, defeating Brazil (3-0) in the third-place match.

Bruins Earn Academic Honors . . .
Defender Kendal Billingsley was selected to the 2004 Academic All-District VIII Team, as selected by the College Sports Information Directors of America (CoSIDA) on Nov. 4. Billingsley, a senior from Trabuco, Canyon, Calif., owns a 3.24 GPA and is majoring in communication studies. She has started all 23 matches this season, posting 11 points on five goals and one assist. Only first-team selections are included on the national ballot for Academic All-American. UCLA also had seven players on the All-Pac-10 Academic Team, as Billingsley, Kim Devine, Mary Castelanelli, Michelle Gleason, Julie Hoshizaki, Crystal James and Jill Oakes were honorable mention selections.

UCLA's 2003 Record When it . . .
Plays at home - 10-2
Plays on the road - 7-3
Plays at a neutral site - 0-1
Plays overtime - 2-1
Scores first - 16-0
Opponent scores first - 1-6
Leads at the half - 7-0
Trails at the half - 1-5
Is tied at the half - 9-1
Plays a ranked team - 9-1
Plays an unranked team - 8-5

News & Notes . . .Danesha Adams, Kim Devine and Lindsay Greco each earned a Pac-10 Player of the Week honor this season ...Head coach Jillian Ellis registered her 100th victory at UCLA with the Bruins' win over Oregon State on Oct. 8. She currently owns records of 109-24-5 (at UCLA) and 128-42-5 (career) ...Two freshman on this year's team are redshirting the season after suffering knee injuries prior to arriving at UCLA. Theresa Oda-Burns and Melissa Briggs, a pair of ODP players from Northern California, will be redshirt freshmen in 2005 ...Senior midfielder Julie Hoshizaki recorded her first career point on an assist against Oregon State back on Oct. 8 ...Hoshizaki is playing her first season on the women's soccer team after lettering four years on the UCLA softball team. During her time on the diamond, the Bruins won two NCAA titles (2003 & 2004) ...Midfielder Jill Oakes was listed on two preseason All-America teams at the beginning of the season (Soccer America and College Sports Television). Iris Mora, who was also on the CSTV team, was one of 25 players on the M.A.C. Hermann Trophy Watch List. The M.A.C. Hermann Trophy is presented each year to the top player in collegiate soccer.